|
What is a
callout?
A callout is the
process by which EMCOMM members are contacted to support
served agencies in an emergency. Callout procedures may be
used as part of EMCOMM exercises.
Callouts can
occur at the Section, District or County level and should ONLY
be initiated by the SM, SEC, DEC, EC or AEC for the district
or County. In a real emergency, these officials act in
response to actual or anticipated requests for communications
support by served agencies.
Each EMCOMM
member is expected to be prepared to respond as effectively as
possible to a callout. No one is expected to ignore personal
responsibilities to family or employer, nor unnecessarily risk
their welfare.
Initial
Operation:
As soon as you
arrive on site, ask for the person in charge and introduce
yourself as the emergency communicator assigned to serve that
location. The person-in-charge will be busy, so spend only a
moment explaining that you are there to set up a
communications station for that location, and to ask where
he/she would like you located. Be prepared to suggest an
appropriate location - one that can serve as an operating
table and message desk; has feed line access to the window,
outdoor or roof access to power and telephone, and is far
enough away from the command center to avoid disturbing either
the command or communications center.
Move your
equipment into position.
Hopefully,
you've arrived as a team of two or more, so that a person can
start setting up while the other persons are moving some of
the equipment in. The first priority would be to set up a 2M
portable station to establish essential contact with the net.
Use the lowest power setting that produces reliable contact.
Proceed to set up the rest of the equipment needed. As more of
your communications setup becomes operational you can check
into other nets and begin compiling a list of stations that
are reachable directly or via a relay station.
Paperwork needed
at the site:
Some of the
things you should have with you when you operate in the field:
#1 Message forms
or sheets to compose messages, such as the ARRL Radiogram.
#2 Log sheets to
track incoming and outgoing messages.
#3 Notepad for
writing notes. Spiral bound steno type recommended.
#4 3M Post-its
notes for making notations on items.
Long term
operations:
If you expect to
operate from the location for an extended period of time,
establish a message filing system so that you can retrieve the
messages as needed. Some of the "portable office" type that
can hold several hanging folders and has a tray on top for
pencils, a mini-stapler, scissors and scotch tape would be
very useful to organize and file the messages. You should also
look for and establish a break area, rest room facilities and
a sleeping area.
Notification of
shutdown:
The notification
for shutting down operations may be given over the air by the
NCS or bulletin station. The shutdown is usually preceded by
notices giving a heads up; stating that shutdown of operations
is coming. Be sure you confirm the shutdown order. A rumor in
the break room is not a sufficient conformation to start
tearing down your station.
Shutdown and
cleanup:
Upon receiving
notice of a shutdown, the station should begin securing the
messages, the message desk, equipment and other materials.
Make sure you leave the area you operated at in as good or
better condition than you found it. Your served agencies will
appreciate that.
Debriefing
Input:
As part of the
preparation for after action debriefing, the following
information should be noted:
#1 What time
critical events occurred. It is useful in the post-mortem
analysis to determine time frames for activation, setup,
transit, etc.
#2 The hours of
operation.
#3 What was
accomplished. Often, the list of accomplishments needs to be
relayed to those who weren't there at the scene/operating
location.
#4 What was
good. Jot down the things that went well. Often, in the heat
of the moment, we forget that there were things that went
well, and we are focuses on what we did wrong.
#5 What needs
improvement. This is fairly easy to track, as we remember
easily the items we struggled with the most.
#6 Thank those who turned out and were involved. Even a simple
verbal thank you goes a long way, compared to hearing not
a single word.
73 KE5NZY |
